1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of art. More specifically, the present invention is related to a device for sharpening and shaping pastel sticks and separately storing individual colors of pastel powder generated such processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of art, pastels are commonly used. Pastel sticks are fabricated from compressed chalk and pigment. Pastels are applied to a selected medium by rubbing the pastels against the surface of the medium.
It is well known that during use, the shape of a pastel stick becomes blunt or otherwise changes shape. It is therefore desirable to sharpen or shape the end of the pastel stick for the particular use. When sharpening a pastel stick, pastel dust is generated. Many artists reuse pastel dust by applying it to their artwork to create various shades or hues of that particular color. Pastel dusts of various colors can also be mixed to vary the coloring applied to the artwork. However, collection and reuse of pastel dust has heretofore been limited to collection and reuse at the time the dust is generated.
Typical methods of sharpening and shaping pastel sticks include using sandpaper or the like. The pastel stick is moved across the sandpaper, thus removing material from the pastel stick. A substantial portion of the pastel dust generated is collected in the sandpaper and is thus lost. When the sandpaper becomes cogged, it is discarded for a new, clean piece. Thus, not only is pastel dust lost in the sandpaper, but a continuing expense is created by the disposal of the sandpaper.
It is known that an alternative to sandpaper for this application is a flat screen. As the pastel stick is moved over the surface of the screen, the individual filaments serve to remove material from the pastel stick, with the pastel dust falling through the screen and discarded.
Other devices have been developed for sharpening and storing pastels, soft core pencils, and for forming particulate matter. Typical of the art are those devices disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No.Inventor(s)Issue Date4,616,748W. R. Thomas et al.Oct. 14, 19866,397,479F. LüttgensJun. 4, 20026,620,214J. L. McArdle et al.Sep. 16, 2003
Of these patents, Thomas et al., (748) disclose a container for storing and transporting pastels. The '748 device is further provided for removing discoloring pastel dust from the pastels. The container holds a stack of trays, each made from a frame that surrounds and supports an open mesh on which pastels can be placed. The trays are supported above a volume of freely flowing granular abrasive in the bottom of the container which can scour the pastel dust from the surfaces of the pastels. When the container is inverted, the trays are held in place by the stack and the pastels are protected against breakage by the abrasive, which surrounds and scours the pastels.
Lüittgens ('479) discloses a sharpener for soft-core pencils. The '479 device includes a sharpener housing which carries a sharpener blade positioned tangentially in relation to a sharpener channel. The sharpener portion of the '479 device is similar to that of many prior art pencil sharpeners. The housing also has a free space that is open on a lower side of the housing. A core shaper can be introduced, preferably pivoted, from the lower side of the housing into the free space through a carrier plate which carries the core shaper and can be secured on the sharpener housing.
The '214 patent issued to McArdle et al., discloses a device for making ceramic aggregate particles. Ceramic aggregate precursor particles are formed from a composition by forcing the composition through at least one orifice in a substrate. The substrate is a screen which, in the illustrated embodiment, defines a frusto-conical configuration.